


Unexpected Friendships

by Faerie01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First Potions Lesson, Good Harry, Good Ron, and tries to help ron, first year, good neville, gryffindor boys become friends, harry and neville become friends, harry is a Gryffindor, harry likes to study, harry tries to combat that, no ron bashing, possible granger bashing, possible weasly bashing, shy neville, snape is a git
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2020-10-07 21:58:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faerie01/pseuds/Faerie01
Summary: Harry saw the injustice that happened in the Potions classroom that first Friday. Rather than go to Hagrid's as promised (because he forgot) he instead went to the hospital wing without being injured, where he has a conversation with Neville Longbottom. The source of the conversation? Harry can cook, and Neville knows his plants. They'd be a great team in potions. What Harry didn't know was that rather than just have Ron for his one and only friend, he would get the whole of his dorm to become friends, and help each other through the years at Hogwarts.**This is my first HP fic, my first internet fic, and my second ever fic**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, this is my first fic. English is my native and main language, but I know French and Russian as well, and sometimes grammar transfers over. I don't really like editing my own work, because of self imposed cringe thoughts, but if anyone feels it needs it, I'd be happy to go over it after a few chapters. I don't promise very many updates, or timely updates, but I can try that as well. I'll like the kinder comments more than negative ones, but I'll take into consideration any advice anyone can give :) Enjoy the show

Chapter 1  


Just after the first potions lesson of his time at Hogwarts, Harry decided to be a friend. Ron was nice, and his first and best mate, but what happened to Neville wasn’t okay either. He told Ron he was going to go check on Neville, and that if Ron wanted to join that was okay and if he wanted to head to the common room or somewhere else, he’d meet up at dinner at the latest.  


Ron shrugged, “If you want to go mate, sure. I’m going to go back to the common room.”  


Harry nodded, then found an older student to give him directions to the hospital wing.  


On reaching the hospital wing, he met first the matron, Madam Pomfrey, who fussed over him (”You’re too skinny! Honestly”) before he managed to get word in that he wanted to see Neville. Immediately,she softened up, pointing to the bed he was in.  


Thanking her, Harry went to the bed indicated, and rather than move the curtains that were currently closed around it, let out a small clearing of his throat before saying softly, “Neville?”  


He hears a small voice inside, acknowledging his name. “It’s me, Harry. I wanted to check in on you. Did Seamus leave?”  


The curtain opens part way, the boy nodding. His face and skin looked better, but Harry could tell that it was sensitive.  


“W-why did you want to talk to m-m-me?” The chubby boy asked. “I thought y-you’d do everything with R-r-ron.”  


“Well, sure he’s my best mate, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have others. And besides, what Snape said to you earlier wasn’t right. I wanted to make sure you weren’t too hurt. Is it okay if I sit on the bed with you?”  


After receiving a nod, Harry does so, feeling as awkward as the other boy looked, but here to try it out anyways. He’d never had one friend before, and here he was - trying actively to make a second friend. From what he could see, the Gryffindor across from him was feeling much the same way.  


“Hey,” Harry started, feeling a tad silly. “I saw you were having problems with potions.”  


Neville nodded. “P-p-professor Snape is really scary.”  


“I thought so too. He seemed to hate me, for no reason at all!”  


“I know! That seemed really weird. I’d heard stories about him from upper years, but what he was doing to you . . . A teacher shouldn’t do that.”  


“I’ll get that figured out. What we should do is figure out how to get both of us better grades. I feel he’s going to grade poorly based on principle - and it could be worse with his dislike of me and your discomfort around him. I had an idea if you liked?” Neville nodded again, allowing Harry to continue. “I’m really good at cooking, which is a lot of what potions is, right? And yesterday in Herbology, you were the only student besides the girl, Granger I think? To actively be answering anything the professor said.”  


Neville only looked at him, not quite understanding what the boy next to him is saying.  


“Neville, why don’t we pair up in potions? For group based ones, anyways. From what the textbook says, and from Snape’s - Professor Snape’s reaction to everything, one wrong cut could go horribly wrong. Or,” he gave a sly smile, “putting in porcupine quills while the fire is still lit.”  


Neville smiles in return. “This might work, Harry, but what about potions we do on our own? I’m doomed.”  


Harry shook his head. “No, I’m sure you won’t be. Outside of classes, I can help you learn cutting techniques, while in class, I can do them. And with your eye for plants, you can pick the freshest, or whatever form of ingredient we need, far better than I can.” He smiles sheepishly, pointing at his glasses. “I don’t wear these for fun, you know.”  


Neville finally giggles a little bit, looking surprised at first, then relaxing into what was being said.  


“I think you’re right, Harry. But. . . What about you and Ron? I don’t want to separate you two.”  


“Ron? Don’t worry so much about him. We have loads of other classes together, and it’s good for him to find some other friends to hang out with too.”  


The matron comes by, spotting the pair. “Still here, Mr Potter? Mr Longbottom, you will be allowed to leave for supper, no sooner. If you feel any fatigue from your friend here, he can go and wait for you in the Great Hall.”  


The boys nod eagerly at the matron. They had heard stories from older students that she was a stickler for forcing bedrest on students who needed it.  


“Yes, Madam Pomfrey,” the two boys say together. Harry pulls out a slip of paper, handing it to Neville.  


“Here, Nev - if it’s okay to call you that?” Neville nodded. “This is the potion assignment Snape gave.”  


Neville suppresses a groan, but knows he needs to do it, and as Harry pointed out, his love of plants should help significantly in doing better. Harry grins.  


“Feel free to use me, but I may use you to find out how different plants react together more than you think.”  


Neville nodded. “You seem good at defence, or at least at practical things. If you don’t mind, I might use you to help.”  


Harry nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe we can both help Ron - he doesn’t seem to be adjusting to the workload well. I have ways of making the homework seem fun, but he likes to just skip it. I can’t afford to skip homework. Maybe you could help us do it more on time?” He was referring to the second Transfiguration lesson he had had that week, where he was doing the assignment the morning of. He knew McGonnagal would probably take points for that, noticing clearly when a student did something even the night before versus the day it was due, and it wasn’t something he wanted to get in the habit of.  


Neville smiled. “I can try, Harry. I can’t promise I’ll do much better, but with a few of us, that might be okay. Maybe we can get the other boys in the dorm in on it? Ron seems to be a social person, and we haven’t really done much together yet.”  


Harry thought for a second. “Tomorrow is Saturday, right? Why don’t we play the card game, exploding snap, was it? Or maybe gobstones seems like it would be a good option. We can play in our dorm, and try to get to know each other more.”  


Neville nodded. “I’ll tell the other boys if you tell Ron.” Then he gained his nervous look back, “Hey, Harry, do you mind if I ask you to leave? I’m a bit tired from what Madam Pomfrey had to do.”  


Harry nods quickly, getting off the bed. “Yeah, of course, Neville, I’ll see you at dinner, yeah? This was a good chance to meet you better. Thanks for letting me stay so long.” He grinned, then left, the other boy feeling happy that maybe, just maybe, he would belong somewhere.


	2. Chapter 2 - Boys Day In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this in chapter one, but better late than never. this is my legal disclaimer that anything anyone reads that seems like it's from the Harry Potter universe and is, is being borrowed and turned into my own version for this story. For things we don't really know, I'm taking author's and fictional liberties and making some stuff up along the way. HP belongs to JK

That evening had passed by quickly for Harry, and Ron once he told him. Ron seemed a bit apprehensive at first, probably wanting a bit of alone time because of his family being the size it is. Harry promises some of that after they play some games and get to know each other, which finally turns Ron around. Plus, if Ron was being perfectly honest with himself, Harry was just a bit boring for his tastes, even with the fame. Maybe Ron might just have a bit of fun the next day. 

The next morning, Harry had woken up early as usual, Thanks, Dursleys, he thought, and had decided to start on some of his work for the next week in the middle of the room, him sitting on the floor and a book and some parchment paper balanced on the chair to his desk. Neville is the next one awake, a few minutes after Harry is settled in. 

“Heya, Harry,” he greeted sleepily. 

“Morning, Neville. You ready for today?” 

“I’m a bit nervous . . . Gran never really let me play with others my age growing up.” 

“My cousin made it impossible for me to make friends, so I know how it is. We’ll get there,” he smiled encouragingly at the other boy, who smiled in return. 

“What are you doing there?” Neville nodded at the chair of work. 

“Oh, I started on the potions assignment. I had an idea on how to do homework together, plus it gives me time to make it perfect for when Snape asks at the beginning of the next lesson.” 

Neville nods, looking at his own homework list. “D’you mind if I join you?” 

Harry shook his head, “Of course I don’t. I’m doing it in the middle of the room for a reason. Though, might I suggest Herbology. You’ll find out when the others are awake.” 

Neville nodded again, grabbing the necessary books and supplies needed for work. They work comfortably until the next two wake around the same time, Seamus and Dean. 

“Hey, Harry, Neville,” they each say, and receive a hey in return. “Working on homework already? It’s Saturday!” 

“It was a good way to pass the time until everyone woke up. Speaking of, Ron is the last one asleep. Should we wake him up now or give him like twenty or thirty minutes to wake up and go to breakfast?” 

“Breakfast together is a good idea, actually. We were just going to go ahead, but we can wait, maybe even start on one of the assignments.” 

Harry nodded and mentioned what he had to Neville, suggesting, “Hey, Seamus, how about you start on Transfiguration and Dean, you on Charms?” They nod and get the books they’ll need, joining the slowly growing square. 

It is shortly after the rumbling of hungry bellies fills the room that Ron wakes up, staring incredulously at the amount of people doing homework of all things in his room. Well, the shared room. 

“Morning Ron, we were just waiting for you to get up to go to breakfast. After, I thought we could play some games before finishing whatever we were working on, and you can start one assignment as well?” 

Ron got eager at the mention of food, but grimaced at the thought of homework later on. But, it would be a bit and there would be some fun. So, ever the morning chatterer, he grunts and gets ready, the rest of the boys following suit. 

After a hearty breakfast with scraps smuggled back for munching on during the game, the group of boys work on getting a good play area set up. Rather than struggle with the heavy desks on their own, Neville calls one of the house elves, surprising both Harry and Dean. 

Treating the elf with kindness, the elf gets two of the five desks together to create a large playing area in the centre of the room. Thanking the elf for both moving the desks and for breakfast - which the other boys quickly follow suit on thanking - the elf bows and leaves to whatever other duties it was doing before being called. 

“What was that?” asked Dean. 

“It looked kind of like a bat, with tennis balls for eyes,” Harry added. 

“It was a house elf,” Neville said simply. “They are the ones keeping the castle looking nice.” 

Dean looked uncomfortable for a moment. “They’re not . . . Slaves, are they?” 

Neville quickly shook his head. “There’s this bond thing, either between the owner of the house for the Noble houses, or between the building itself for places like Hogwarts or St. Mungos - a hospital - that have a lot of ambient magic to live and work. Without the bond, they tend to go crazy until they either die or someone new refreshes the bond. Harry, I think you might have some family elves, but I’m not sure.” 

Harry nodded at the information, along with the other boys. Then, he looks at them, a bit sheepish and shy. “So, I was wondering, Exploding Snap first or Gobstones? And I was thinking to break the ice, as the muggles say, whoever loses says something about themselves. Maybe something general, and then something a bit more personal?” 

The other boys nod, Ron speaking up. “Exploding snap is a good time - I think my brothers have a deck we can use. The twins - they like tricking and playing pranks on people. Could someone come with me? They might be lighter if they see I have a friend.” 

Dean nods. “It might be fun, seeing if they prank us or if they have a rule where they wait a certain time before pranking us first years. Family rules are different of course.” 

The two leave, and in the time they take to come back, the other boys set up the table for a good several possible games and work after. 

Once the game starts, it is clear no one has learnt the finer points of the game yet, and no one has a clear advantage over anyone. They try to alternate between general habits and likes, and some dislikes as well and some deeper past stories as they get asked. Except for the very first loser, it would be the most recent loser of the last round to ask a question, and ended up being fairly informational as well. 

From Seamus, they learn he is Irish, but with a bit of Cornish pirate in him as well - explaining the few times they’ve caught him trying to turn water into rum. His dad was Catholic, something to be expected of Ireland, but married his mum before he found out she was a witch - a shock, but they talked it out. 

Dean, they found out was an avid footballer. He had been to as many Chelsea games as he could go to with his grandfather, who played for the team back in the day. Both his parents were muggles, and knew something was up with their child, but had no real idea until the letter came. The last three years, they thought it was something along the lines of the children’s book, Matilda but that still didn’t feel quite right. 

Neville was an only child, similar to Harry. The boys learnt his parents were in the hospital, St Mungos, and they’d been there as long as he could remember, victims of the late stage of the last war. He visited them as often as he could, though. He had a solitary childhood, not knowing he had magic until he was eight, and his uncle tossed him out of the window. (This story elicited gasps from the others in the room, namely those with muggle relatives, but Ron was also looking a tad pale after that.) 

Ron told how he grew up the youngest son with a lot of older brothers. This was not typical for most wizarding families, many having one or two children. He talked about how cool his oldest siblings are, how annoying the ones closer to him are, and he warned Harry that his little sister had been told stories of him since she was in the crib - since they both were, really. They learnt his favourite quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, and that while they had won precisely one Quidditch league match in their whole career, Ron was sure they’d win in the next few with smart changes in staffing and players. He admitted his dream was to pursue a career for as long as he could in professional quidditch, without really knowing what else to do beyond that. 

Harry was mostly silent on his end. He had mentioned how he was left at his aunt and uncle’s, though not necessarily how. He told that his cousin got more attention than he did, but he played it off as Dudley needing it more than Harry, who had matured quickly. He told about one of his notable times of accidental magic, turning the teacher’s wig blue, which got a chuckle out of the boys, and also of the teleporting to the top of the school - Ron and Neville looked impressed. He told of his first real interaction with magic, with Hagrid giving his cousin a pig’s tail, which got the other boys roaring with laughter. 

Finally, after many rounds of both Exploding Snap and Gobstones had been played, and lunch had been eaten, they cleaned the area and got to talking about schoolwork and what they could do with it. Harry took this time to speak. 

“Hey, I had some ideas about homework and dividing it up. You know how this morning, before Ron woke up, I suggested all of us work on a specific subject? I was thinking, well, I played it to our strengths. I was good at chemistry, and I’m really good at cooking, which is the bulk of Potions, and so I started there. Neville is a genius at Herbology, and Seamus and Dean, you’ve shown yourselves well in the other courses so far too,” he said, turning to Ron. “Ron, I know you don’t like studying, and that it’s stuffy, but to do anything you need to do well on exams. I don’t quite know how grading here works yet, but you need to at least pass, right? And you can’t do that when you do homework the day it’s due. I was thinking that while we do our homework, we focus on the one area of study that interests us the most, that we excel in - then, we can meet up for homework in the common room and play some games between assignments, but because one person did it, they can answer questions on the source material.” 

The other boys stared at him, then nodded, it making sense. Dean spoke up first, asking if he could switch to Astronomy instead, as the stars were much cooler than what they were doing in Charms. Harry nodded, saying that for the odd classes out, they can take turns rotating who does it and can help the other boys if they need it. 

Ron spoke up second: “So, I’m getting history? But it’s just been goblin wars and stuff!” 

Harry grinned. “Guess what wars have, Ron? Strategists and generals to lead the lines. Guess what you’re good at? Seeing the patterns and strategies to use in a chess match, which is really just a game of war played on the board.” 

Ron’s mouth gaped in understanding. He wouldn’t have to work as hard (or so he thought) because Harry was right, he was good at strategising. He just beat a third year a few nights ago in chess, expertly commanding his pieces to go where they were needed. 

Harry nodded again in confirmation. “There will also be times the class is super hard in the classroom, which is why we can also do self taught practical lessons in view of an older year. We know what’s going to happen for the month of September classwise, right? And everyone older than us has done it before. It’s better to have them watch to make sure nothing goes wrong, and to contain panic if it does go wrong.” 

The other boys nod. “So,” Neville started, “Harry, can you help me with the cutting techniques for potions?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm thinking a weekly update isn't a bad idea, gets the story out, and gives me time to work on it and real life. The next chapter is going to be more of an overview of the first week where they try this system out, and the chapter after will be for the rest of September and maybe the beginning of October as well.   
As always, thanks for any comments, and if something is horribly wrong or out of place grammatic wise, i'll fix it with the next update


	3. Chapter 3 - September

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I'm back. When I started the fic, it was a few weeks before I travelled to Scotland for a few months to see my boyfriend. Then, I kept running into excuses not to write, and yeah. I got some spark back, though, and I hope this is still a lovely chapter to read! There is Hermione at the end, it's not really a bashing kind of moment though - I'll add some of that later, but i think the tag I put says slight hermione bashing, and I might keep it that way, bordering bashing but not quite full on hermione-the-harpy bash.

Chapter 3 - September  
The rest of the month finished in much the same way after that first weekend. The boys cycled through some classes’ work, none having the desire nor the aptitude to do as Harry suggested.

Many of the teachers noticed the change in the first year Gryffindor boys, and were excited. The Lioness of Gryffindor was most proud, because her house was known for things such as the Weasley twins did: pranking and goofing off. She never before spent much time in the common room, mostly because Albus had her doing too many things on top of what she was contracted to do that she frankly didn’t have the energy for so many youthful antics. But she decided to start the habit, making the rest of her colleagues happy for her and for her house as well. 

The only one who was still quite iffy in his interactions with the boys was Professor Snape. It makes sense, given that his subject is rather quite deadly, and for all the years since he’s started teaching, Gryffindor was the house to watch out for, boys especially. But even he had to reluctantly agree that the change in pairs was for the better. He had despaired during the first lesson, and was prepared to make seating chart changes to mitigate the damage (hopefully). 

However, there were no further mishaps with the boys, and he had his fears unfounded. Sure, there was the occasional mistake, but no one has perfect precision at 11 (Except for Potter. . . May need to enquire about his home life), and this was probably the least provacative group of boys in his lower years that he’s had, well, ever. 

The first flying class was surprisingly fun. It was in the first week of the new routine, and having such a large group of friends supporting him, Neville managed to keep his broom steady. It helped that Ron managed to ask his brothers, part of the quidditch team, to let them see the brooms they were going to use, and by the gods were they in bad shape. But half the part of getting rid of fear is to acknowledge you have it, and it wasn’t a very long course anyways. 

After the first lesson, of course, Neville wrote to his Gran about the state of the brooms, and if there was anything they could do to get rid of them. She wrote back to Neville and also Harry, surprisingly. She told Neville she would see what she could do as a member of the board. The letter to Harry was far more a welcome back to the wizarding world message, and mentioning that as her son and his dad were in the same department at the Ministry, she would be happy to mail him photos and stories, so that he might be able to have a more complete image of his father. 

What was more surprising is that Neville must have alluded to the . . . Less than ideal living situation with the Dursley’s, and his gran invited Harry over for Yule - “I know it’s so far out yet, Harry, but this gives you a chance to tell your relatives that you might not be home for the holidays, of which I’m sure they’d like to know.” Harry knew they didn’t, of course, care, but was touched by the sentiment nonetheless. 

Perhaps the last, yet most interesting addition to the last couple of weeks, was Hermione Granger, who three of the boys had met on the train. This is perhaps unsurprising, because of their change in studious habits, but it was a change nonetheless. 

After that first study date in their dormitory, the boys decided to study in different places as often as they could. The change in scenery was nice, and it allowed them to explore both the castle and the grounds (when the Scottish weather permitted them). One of these days, Harry noticed Hermione looking at them while pretending to read. Well, perhaps not pretending, but her main focus was not on the tome in front of them. 

He looked at the group. “So, I know we are pretty tight now. I was wondering . . . I feel bad that that girl, Hermione, is always alone. She hasn’t made hardly any friends here yet, and I know how that feels. Is it okay if I go over there and invite her over?” 

The group of boys looked at each other, then at Harry. “Sure,” was the general consensus. “She’s really bossy in classes, though,” Ron reminded them. 

“She’s proving herself to this world, I think, Ron. It doesn’t have to be an all the time thing, but at least it would mean we get to stop hopping around for Charms,” Harry mentioned. He then nodded and went over to her, Gryffindor courage all the way. 

“Hey, Hermione, is it? We met on the train, and haven’t had much time to speak since then. I’m Harry, Harry Potter.” 

She giggled a bit, just about everyone knew who he was, muggleborn or not. “Hey Harry, why are you over here? Do you need some help with homework?” She had tried hard to make herself the homework tutor of her year, but it didn’t always work out. 

“Actually, we were wondering if you wanted to join our study group. It’s all the first year Gryffindor boys, we divide up the courses so we focus on our strongest class first then when that’s done, we work on the homework for the other classes. Because we all focused on one assignment, if we have questions while working on the others, it’s easier to explain.” 

Hermione’s eyes grew wide with longing - it was an ideal set up, and she made some friends along the way. “You . . . Won’t make me do your homework for you, will you?” 

“Of course not!” Harry exclaimed, confused at the question. “The only thing you have to focus on is Charms at the moment, none of us have the spark that makes it easy, like Neville with Herbology or me with Potions.” 

She pretended to think it over, then nodded. “Of course I’ll join you!” 

Harry grinned, then brought her over to the group and formally introduced her to the rest of the boys. Neville and Ron remembered her from the train, and she set her bag next to Neville. It would take longer than one study session to cement a long friendship, and Hermione had some slightly violent tendencies even she wasn’t aware of, but for that first time, everything was okay.


End file.
